Fastening for buttons



(No Model.) I

G. W. WASHBURN.

v FASTENING FOR BUTTONS. No. 320,517. Patented June 23', 1885.,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE lV. VASHBURN, OF VEST NFV BRIGHTON, NEV YORK.

FASTENING FOR BUTTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. 320,517, dated June 23, 1885.

(No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WASHBURN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at West New Brighton, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fastenings for Buttons, &c., of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates, primarily, to fastenings for cuff-buttons,collar-buttons, and shirtstuds, but may be embodied in part in scarfpins and the like. It consists, first, in anovel construction of the shoe of the button or stud, whereby its insertion is facilitated, and at the same time a double hold on the respective sides of the button-hole is afforded; secondly, in the combination, with a rigidly-attached support for the back of the fabric formed by said shoe or the pin or pins of a scarf-jewel or the like,of a spring-detent havinga serrated end, which bites the fabric in contact therewith until forced back by a card or the like, for the purpose of resisting the escape or withdrawal of buttons, 85e., until they are purposely released by the wearer; and, thirdly, in attaching said spring-detent by a hinge or pintle joint, whereby itis adapted to be made fast by hard-soldering,without the impairment of its elasticity by annealing.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figures l and 2 of these drawings are edge views of a cuff-button illustrating` this invention. Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a front view of the shoe and post of the button as they appear before being united with the other parts; and Figs. 5 and 6V are additional edge views of the button, illustrating, respectively, the fastening and unfastening operations. Figs. 7 to l2, inclusive, illustrate other applications of the same fastening and modifications thereof, Fig. 7 being an edge view, and Fig. 8 a soctional back view, of a shirt-stud; Fig. 9, an edge view, and Fig. l0 a back view,of a jewel too small to be conveniently provided with a hinged pin-tongue; and Figs. 11 and 12, respectively, an edge view and a back View of a scarf -pin provided with a hingeattached spring-detent according to this invention.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Said cuff-button, Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, is provided with a shoe, s, in the form of a tapering oval with rounded edges, as shown in Fig. 4. This is rigidly united with the button proper or body B of the cuff-button by a nearly flat shank or post, p, having the form of a flat oval in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, and located near the larger end of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 4, and preferably away from the center of the button, as seen in Fig. 3, so that the long end of the shoe shall not project unnecessarily beyond the edge of the button.' This construction of shoe and shank facilitates inserting the button in stiff cuffs without marring the linen, the shoe passing through the button-holes small end foremost, its long end coming to rest iiat against the cuff inside and its short end or heel catching and holding within the cuff on the opposite side ofthe button-hole from that behind which said longer end holds, a secure double hold being thus afforded, as illust-rated in Fig. 5, the iiat shank of post p occupying t-hebutton-hole and precluding displacement by turning. As its cent-ral portion performs no function, the shoe may be made of wire, in skeleton form, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

A spring-detent, d, having its free end serurated, as shown in Figs. 2, and 3, and its iiat back resting against that of the button proper, engages by its teeth with the outer surface of the cuff, so as to resist the escape or withdrawal of the button, and thus renders the inserted button securely fastened or locked in automatically, as also illustrated by said Fig. 5. To unfasten it a card or the like is inserted between the spring-detent and the cuff, so as to disengage the teeth of the former from the latter, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and then, or at the same time, the cud is unbuttoned from said heel end of the shoe, as indicated at the upper end of said Fig. 6, after which the button maybe quickly removed, as indicated by the arrow in the figure.

To provide for securely uniting the parts with the aid of hard solder without annealing said spring-detent, a small hinge-tube, h', is

hard-soldered to said post 19 before the latter' is attached to the button, as represented in Fig. 4, a pair of hinge-tubes being formed on the inner end of the detent, as shown in IOO vimproved fastening may be made of one or more sizes, in quantity, and furnished to manufacturing jewelers, to be attached to buttons of different styles, as called for. A collarbutton would have a fastening substantially the same in all respects as said cuff-button.

The fastening of said shirt-stud, Figs. 7 and 8, operates on precisely the same princible as that of said cuff-button, and in construction it differs from the latter onlyin two particulars-viz., its shoe sx and post px are of round wire or jewelers tubing, adapting them to eyelet-holes, and its spring-detent df is attached to the back of the button proper or body Bx by soft solder behind the post, having for this purpose a bifurcated end, e, to embrace the latter, illustrating this and analogous ways of rigidly attaching the springdetent in either application thereof.

The fastening ofsaid small jewel, Figs. 9 and l0, consists in part of a short rigid double pin, JY, forming a support for the back of the fabric, substantiallysimilar to the long end of said shoe s, to coact with a spring-detent, d", with which the jewel setting or body By is provided. The spring-detent is attached in this modification to the back of said body B" by a hinge-joint, hy, the iiXed part of which may be hard soldered on without subjecting the spring-detent to annealing heat, as in the form first described.

The fastening of said scarf-pin, Figs. l1 and 12, is composed of a spring-detent, d, similar to the one just described, in combination with a short rigid pin, p, the latter performing thc functions of said shoe s as a support for the face of the fabric to coact with said springdetent. Said spring-detent in each application thereof operates automatically to fasten the article to which it is attached against escape or withdrawal, and is unlocked by inserting a card or the like between its serrated end and the fabric, with which the latter interlocks. Other analogous applications and modifications of the same will occur to those skilledin the art.

Having thus described my said improve lnent in fastenings for buttons, 85e., I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification- 1..lhe combination, with the body of a button or the like, of a rigidly-attached flat post perpendicular to its back, and a shoe in the form of a long tapering oval rigidly united with said post near its larger end, the post being transverse with reference to the shoe, and said larger end of the shoe projecting as a rigid heel, substantially as herein specified.

2. rlhe combination, with the body ot' a button or the like, of a rigidly-attached support for the back of the fabric, to which it is thereby connected,adapted to be inserted endwise through the fabric, and a spring-detent having a serrated end opposed to said support to resist escape or withdrawal, substantially as herein specified.

3. rlhe combination, with the body of a button or the like, of a rigidly-attached support for the back ofthe fabric, to which it is thereby connected, adapted to be inserted endwise through the fabric, and a spring-detent having a serrated end opposed to said support, and attached by a hinge-joint, substantially as herein specified, for the purpose set forth.

GEO. V. VASHBURN.

Vitnesses:

HENRY P. WELLS, Jas. L. EWIN. 

